Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1887-08-12
PROFIT IN BEE-KEEPlNG.
Preparations That Should BE Made by lie
glnners In the Business.


ginners in the business.
That more persons fail to derive
either pleasure or profit from keeping
bees than from any other department
of husbandry is by no means strange.
The occupation has been rendered at
tractive by those who have spoken and
written upon ID. All the ancient poets
from David to Virgil, and all the mod
ern poets from Wordsworth to Whit
tier, have sung the praises of the indus
trious little insect that gathers honey
from the flowers. Even the composers
of the most popular hymns have en-
ployed the "busy bee" to point
moral. The profits of bee keeping
have been shown by exhibiting
the yearly balance-sheet of a
few very successful apiarians, who
were chiefly engaged in selling patent
hives and imported queens. A census
was not taken of the failures in bee
keeping, so that the general public
learned little about them. Keeping
bees was generally represented as
very easy sort of employment. in which
there was little to do except to "boss
the job" The bees were presumed to
know their own business and to attend
to it at all reasonable times.
There is no longer much profit in
keeping bees if the object be to obtain
money from the sale of honey. Sweets
of all kinds are very cheap, and honey
forms no exception to the general rule.
Still a large proportion OF farmers who
occupy improved places will find it to
their advantage to keep few colonies
of bees. The honey they will collect
and store will help reduce the grocer's
bill, while it will be much more salts
factory for use on the table than the
sirups that are now sold. One should
not engage in bee-kecping, however,
without suitable preparation. Some
standard work on Bookkeeping should
be obtained and carefully studied
before any hives or bees are obtained.
If practical, the prospective bee-keeper
should visit place where several colo
nies are kept by some person who has
been successful with them. Much in
formation can be thus obtained about
the proper location of hives; the
methods of handling bees; of keeping
them over the winter, and of feeding
them when there is scarcity of natural
food. Much can also be learned about
the value of different locations for keep
ing bees and providing plants whose
flowers afford honey during different
months of the year.
If there are Eastwood and willow trees
on or near the farm when one. intends
TO keep bees they will be found of great
value. If there are none it will be tho
part of wisdom to plant them without
delay. They will serve other useful
purposes than producing honey for
bees to gather The sides of the road
near the farm and bare tracts of land
on any portion of it can be sown to
mellott or sweet clover to excellent
advantage. Alsi no or Swedish clover
is an excellent honey producing Rant,
and one that is worthy of attention for
producing hay. White clover remains
In blossom longer than almosr any
useful plant, while it yields most
delicious honey of the most desirable
color. The beginners must learn that
bees do not make honey, and that they
can only obtain it when honey-produc-
ing flowers abound. Pasturage is aA
necessary for bees as for farm AZ l.
mails, and on its excellence and near.
ness to the hives will largely sdepend
luooess 10 keeping bees. - Chicago
Times